1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that can be connected to a network, an access control method in the image forming apparatus, and a computer-readable recording medium that records an access control program for controlling access by the image forming apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional image forming apparatuses have a function of accessing an external server via a network. In particular, there has been known an image forming apparatus capable of utilizing a Web browser. Such an image forming apparatus displays information, which is downloaded via a network, through use of a Web browser. Then, a printer of the image forming apparatus prints out the downloaded information. Therefore, this image forming apparatus can eliminate such an effort that a user views a desired Web page through a Web browser on his/her personal computer, issues a printing command to the personal computer, and moves to an image forming apparatus in order to take printed matter. Particularly, the image forming apparatus capable of utilizing a Web browser directly can offer a considerably effective advantage to a user having a personal computer which is not connected to a network nor an image forming apparatus.
On the other hand, in a case where an adequate network environment is established and a distance between a personal computer and an image forming apparatus is short, a user moves to the image forming apparatus in order to take printed matter without effort.
For this reason, a Web browser function is added optionally to an image forming apparatus as one of functions of the image forming apparatus. That is, a purchaser, who intends to purchase an image forming apparatus, can make a choice whether to add such a Web browser function to the image forming apparatus to be purchased. However, it is difficult for the purchaser to grasp a merit of the Web browser function in a case where he/she does not actually utilize the Web browser function ever. For example, even when a sales person appeals the convenience of the Web browser function to the purchaser with a catalog or the like, this appeal does not lead to enhancement in appetite for purchasing of the Web browser function.
In order to solve the problem described above, a predetermined trial period is provided for a product the merit of which can not be grasped by a user with ease in a case where he/she does not actually use such a product ever. The user who intends to purchase the product can actually use the product during the trial period. Thus, the user can determine whether the product is convenient before purchasing the product.
For example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2006-192878 discloses an information processing method implemented in an image forming apparatus which is connected to a network so as to establish data communications and utilizes a browser for receiving a Web page via the network and displaying contents of the received Web page. This method includes a step of displaying information about contents of a Web page, the display of which is permitted by the browser, on activation, a step of determining whether information about a link to a different Web page is selected, the link information being contained in the Web page the display of which is permitted by the browser, and a step of, when the link information of the different Web page is selected, imposing a restriction on access to the different Web page.
However, the Web browser has not only functions concerning an image forming apparatus, but also a function of searching for a Web site and a function of viewing a Web page. That is, the Web browser can be used for various purposes. Consequently, if a user can fully utilize the Web browser function of the image forming apparatus during the trial period, he/she occasionally accesses a harmful Web site or a charged Web site. Moreover, if one user uses the image forming apparatus in order to search for a Web site or view a Web page, another user can not use the image forming apparatus.